


The One Where

by thegirlwhowaited82



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-29
Updated: 2017-02-17
Packaged: 2018-09-13 00:48:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9098194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/thegirlwhowaited82/pseuds/thegirlwhowaited82
Summary: This is a Captain Swan AU for my Gutter Flower Secret Santa. It's a twist on the episodes of Friends where Monica and Chandler hook up and try to keep it a secret from everyone. In this AU Emma and Killian have hooked up at her brother David's and Mary Margaret's wedding are trying to keep it a secret from their friends, and especially Emma's brother. But through various situations everyone ends up finding out. Everyone but David, who Emma knows will freak out if he finds out his best friend is dating his sister. Will they be able to keep their secret?





	1. They Get Busted

“Mmm,” Emma moaned, the hand resting on Killian’s chest giving him a shove backwards, removing his lips from hers. “They are going to be waiting for us. I texted Mary Margaret to tell her we’d be here at five, and she’s probably looking out the window wondering why we are still sitting in the car.” 

“You’re the one who insisted on a kiss for luck, love,” he smirked at her. “It’s not my fault you can’t resist my devilishly handsome charms. Besides, I’m not the one who insisted on this cockamamie scheme. It’s not as if everyone doesn’t know already.” 

Emma sighed. “It’s not cocka-whatever you said,” she replied. “And not everyone knows, because David definitely doesn’t know. But, we all know Mary Margaret can’t keep a secret to save her life, so it’s probably only a matter of time before she lets something slip.” 

“Swan,” Killian sighed, “I think maybe you’re making a bigger deal out of this than it. Perhaps we should just tell David, before Mary Margaret let’s it slip out accidentally, and he’ll be less upset than you think.” 

“Ha!” Emma smirked. “Yeah, right. You know very well my brother will flip out because you’re his best friend, and you’re… sleeping with his baby sister.”

“Too right, I am,” Killian interrupted, raising an eyebrow at her. 

Emma ignored the way her stomach did a little flip flop at his gaze, “Stop it,” she chided, but there was a hint of a smile of her face. “Now come on, it’s cold out here.” 

They finally got out of the car, made their way up to the house, and Emma took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell. Everything was going to be fine. They had managed to keep their little secret from her brother since they had hooked up the night of his wedding, and they could pull it off for a few more days. Yes, everyone had else had found out, mostly through little slip-ups they had made. But it was a wonder Ruby and Belle had managed to keep Mary Margaret, her new sister-in-law, quiet for this long. She was notorious for the spilling the beans about things, no matter how good her intentions were in telling people. 

But Emma had to give her credit for not sharing something this big for this long. It was definitely a Christmas miracle. And if they were extra careful, David would remain in the dark and there wouldn’t be a brawl over the Christmas turkey. But she couldn’t deny that hooking up with Killian had been the best decision she’d ever made. 

* * *

 

Belle was curled up in her favorite chair in the living room with a book, enjoying having the apartment to herself for a weekend. Not that Killian was a bad roommate to have, as he was quite tidy, and generally pretty quiet, but he was also a good friend to her. When she realized that her ex had lied and manipulated her once again into taking him back and making him think he did it because he loved her, that had been the last straw for Killian. He insisted she ‘leave the bastard’ as he so eloquently put it, and move in with him until she could get back on her feet. 

So she had agreed to take him up on the offer. But this weekend had found her with the apartment to herself as Killian had attended a conference in Boston for work. And while she didn’t mind having his company it was kind of nice to have the place to herself for a while. 

The sound of a key in the door drew her attention away from the book, and she marked her spot as the door opened and Killian walked in, dropping his bags from his weekend trip on the floor. 

“Hey,” she smiled, as she set the book on the side table and got up to greet her roommate. “Welcome home. How did the conference go? Did you manage to make your big merger?” 

“Oh, hello, love,” he replied. “It was, uh… it was good. And um, yes,” he reached up and scratched behind his ear, and… was he blushing? “I’d definitely say there was a merger.” 

Belle got the feeling there was something he wasn’t quite telling her, but she brushed it off. “Well that’s good,” she smiled. “I was just going to make some tea, if you want to unpack or start some laundry. Ruby invited us to join her and Emma at the diner later, since Emma’s getting back from her stake out in Boston.” She leaned against the counter, placing a hand on her hip. “It’s so odd that the two of you just happened to be in Boston the exact same weekend.

“Uh, yes,” Killian said, quickly picking up his bags and moving towards his bedroom, “that is rather a big coincidence, isn’t? I’ll just go put my things away. Do excuse me. Oh, and tea sounds lovely.” 

Belle eyed a bit suspiciously as he moved past her and into the bedroom. He was acting a bit strange, but she supposed maybe he was just tired from his trip. She moved into the kitchen and filled the kettle with water before putting it on the stove to boil when she remembered something. “Oh, I almost forgot,” she called to Killian, “the hotel called for you. They said that you’d left a curling iron in your room.” 

Killian’s head popped out from the bedroom door. ‘I’m sorry, love, did you say a curling iron?” 

“Yes,” Belled nodded. “I told them there must have been a mix up with the room numbers, because why would you have a curling iron?” She laughed. “Unless there’s something you aren’t telling me.”

“Aye,” Killian laughed too, but Belle thought it sounded it a bit… off. As though he didn’t quite think it was as odd as it seemed. “I- I’m sure that’s it. It’s uh, not like I would have a girl in my room or anything.” 

“Exactly,” Belle nodded, but eyed him curiously as he ducked back into his bedroom. There some definitely something odd going on, but she figured he’d tell her if anything were really off. Still, she couldn’t quite shake the feeling something had happened this weekend. 

//~~//

Later that evening, she and Killian joined Ruby and Emma at their usual hang out, Granny’s Diner. Ruby’s grandmother owned the place, and she worked there part time, but it had become a hangout for their little group of friends. Now that Mary Margaret and David had gotten married and moved into a house of their own, they didn’t see them quite as much, but they all still gathered here on occasion to catch up and enjoy some of Granny’s world famous onion rings. 

“So, Emma,” Belle asked once they had placed their order, “how did your stake out in Boston go? Did you catch your man?” 

Emma coughed as she seemed to have choked on the ship of hot cocoa she’d just taken. “What? Oh, yeah,” she replied once she was able to speak again. “Yup. Yes, I- I definitely caught my man.” 

Killian flashed a grin at Emma. “Put those handcuffs of yours to good use, did you?” He gave her a wink, and if Belle hadn’t seen them act that way a hundred times before, she would have sworn that Killian was actually flirting with Emma. He suddenly winced and she could have sworn she saw Emma glare at him as he swore in pain. 

“Are you alright?” She asked, wondering what was going on. 

“Aye, love,” Killian replied with a wince as he reached down a hand to rub his leg. “Just managed to knock my shin on the table, curse these long legs of mine. I shall remember to be more careful in the future.” 

“Well, enough about their weekend,” Ruby replied, bouncing a little in her seat. “I went to the Rabbit Hole this weekend and you’ll never guess what happened.” 

“Hmm, I bet we can,” Emma said, rolling her eyes. “What’s he look like, and did you get his first and last names this time so we can run a thorough background check? You don’t want another guy hiding brains in his freezer.” 

Ruby rolled her eyes. “He was a scientist, okay,” she replied, clearly exasperated that her friends wouldn’t let her live that one down. “And for your information, he is a she and her name is Dorothy Gale.” 

“Ah, so you’ve decided to bat for the other team,” Killian grinned. “Congratulations, Ruby. That should open the playing field for you even more.” 

“Ha ha, very funny,” Ruby was clearly not amused at this teasing, or implication that she slept around a lot. Though it was kind of the truth. 

“I think it’s lovely,” Belle replied, giving her friend a smile. “I hope things work out for the two of you.”

“Thank you, Belle,” Ruby smiled back. “See, someone is happy for me. Anyway, Dorothy and I have a date on Wednesday, and Emma I was wondering if I could borrow your curling iron. Mine seems to be broken.” 

“Oh, sorry Ruby,” Emma answered, “but I think I left mine at the hotel I was staying at this weekend. It wasn’t in my bag when I unpacked.” 

“Well, isn’t that odd,” Belle said, look from Ruby to Emma. “Killian’s hotel called and said that someone left a curling iron-” She froze mid-sentence when saw the look of panic on both Killian and Emma’s faces. The realization of what was going quickly hit her and suddenly it all made sense. The flirting, the fact they’d both just happened to be in Boston on the same the weekend. “Oh, my god. Are you guys-” 

“Belle, love, may I speak with you outside a moment,” Killian said, and quickly gestured for her to slid out of the booth and follow him out the front the door. 

“ _ Are you guys _ \- what” She heard Ruby ask behind her as she followed Killian, but the door closed behind them before she could hear Emma’s answer. 

“Killian, what’s going on with you and Emma?” She asked once they were outside. “Are you two sleeping together?” 

“Shh,” Killian warned, and pulled her towards the empty tables in the courtyard and farther away from the building. “I shouldn’t be surprised you’d be the first to connect the dots, but we were trying to keep it a secret.” 

“Why?” Belle asked. “If you two are dating why don’t you want to tell anyone? How long has this been going on?” 

Killian blushed a little. “Since David and Mary Margaret’s wedding,” he answered her. “It just sort of… happened. But we didn’t wish to tell anyone for fear that things wouldn’t work out. Besides, we knew that if David found out he’d pummel me within an inch of my life for sleeping with his sister..” 

“I’m sure that’s on the case,” Belle replied, giving him a sympathetic look. “But, I’m so happy for the two of you. You both deserve some happiness in your lives after everything you’ve been through.” 

Killian gave her a smile. “Thank you, Belle,” he told her. “But, promise you won’t say anything.” 

“I promise,” Belle nodded. “But I still think you ought to just tell everyone before they find out.” 

“We will… eventually,” he told her. “We just need some more time.” 

“I understand.” 

They walked back into the diner where Ruby had already forgotten about the curling iron and had moved on to describing her new crush. Belle wasn’t sure how long she’d be able to keep this secret, but she would do her best. She was glad for her friends and hoped that things did work out between Emma and Killian. With their past relationships ending so badly, it had been a long time since either of them had even looked at a member of the opposite sex, and though Belle had always thought the flirting and banter between them had always just been for fun, it seemed there had been more to it than anyone realized. Maybe now they’d finally see how perfect for each other they really were.

* * *

 

Ruby had gotten home late last night from her date with Dorothy, but this morning she was anxious to tell everyone about it, so she’d sent off a group text to Emma, Killian and Belle telling them all about it, sparing no amount of information. The group didn’t seem to appreciate her attention to detail, however, and quickly responded that they were more than happy things had worked out for her but really, there were some things they didn’t need to know. 

Ruby had to go to work at the diner, but they made plans for later to meet back at her and Emma’s apartment for drinks. She set her phone aside while she went to go get ready, assuming their group chat was over for the time being when she got a ping on her phone. It was another message from Emma. 

_ Emma: So, are you going to come over later?  _

Ruby thought that was odd. Why wouldn’t Emma be coming to their apartment later? Hadn’t they all just discussed this. Suddenly a response popped up from Killian. 

_ Killian: I thought I was coming over for drinks with you and the girls? That hardly allows us any privacy, love.  _

Ruby’s jaw dropped. She could not be reading what she thought she was reading. Sure, Emma and Killian had been friends for a long time, they all had. And yes, he’d always flirted with Emma but he sort of did that with everyone. Ruby had attempted to make a move on him more than once, but he’d blown her off. Politely, of course, as was that was just Killian’s way. But apparently Emma had decided she’d wanted a piece of that fine English ass. 

_ Emma: I should have this new perp nailed down by the time Ruby leaves for work. That gives us plenty of time to test out these new handcuffs I bought. ;) _

Oh my god! Ruby grabbed her phone and ran out of the apartment and across the hall to Belle and Killian’s apartment, knocking on the door. This message had gone to Belle too, and she had to have seen it. 

“Belle? It’s Ruby, open up!” She called excitedly. 

The door opened, and Belle jumped back a bit as Ruby ran in nearly knocking her over in the process. “Oh my god! Did you see this text Emma and Killian sent?” She asked, holding her phone in Belle’s face. 

“Yes,” Belle replied, gently pushing Ruby’s arm back. “But it clearly wasn’t meant for us to see, so we’d best just ignore it. Don’t you think?” 

“Ignore it!” Ruby shouted at her friend, holding the phone in her face again. “How can we ignore this? Emma and Killian are clearly hooking up! This is huge!!!” Ruby paused as she realized that Belle didn’t seem nearly as surprised as she should have been. “Wait,” she said, lowering the phone, “did you know?” 

Belle clearly hesitated before answering. “Umm, yes,” she answered, looking a bit sheepish. 

“What! When did you find out? How long has this been going on?” Ruby asked, dying to know how she had been kept in the dark about this. She was usually quite good at reading people. 

“Uh, well, I guess it first happened at David and Mary Margaret’s wedding,” Belle answered. “And they’ve kept up a relationship but didn’t wish to tell anyone in case things didn’t work out. I sort of found out by accident.” 

“This is awesome!” Ruby grinned. “I always knew they were perfect for each other. Does anyone else know?” 

“No, and we need to keep it that way,” Belle said. “You can’t tell David, you know how protective he is of Emma ever since Neal.” 

“Oh, yes,” Ruby replied emphatically. “He’ll kick Killian’s butt if he finds out. Which means, I guess we can’t tell Mary Margaret because we all know how bad she is at keeping secrets.” 

“Exactly,” Belle agreed. “But, you might want to text Emma and Killian back and let them know their private message wasn’t so private before they accidentally say something to someone else.” 

  
Ruby nodded. “Good point,” she said. “Oh, this is so exciting though. They are so cute together. Keeping this from David and Mary Margaret is going to be hard.” 


	2. David Finds Out

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is the second half of my CS Friends AU I started as a gift for my Gutter Flower Secret Santa. This is the one where Mary Margaret finds out about Killian and Emma. Can she keep the secret? And what happens when Emma's brother David finally finds out?

Mary Margaret might be a newlywed, but that didn’t mean she had given up on her single friends. And being the amazing partly planner she was (she didn’t earn the nickname Snow White for nothing) she was determined to make Christmas in her and David’s new house one to remember. They loved all their friends, and had been like a sister, even before she’d married David, so it wouldn’t be Christmas without them. Nor did she think it was good enough to simply mail the invitations. Oh, no. She just had to bring them by in person, which is how she ended up at Emma and Ruby’s apartment. 

She knocked on the door, but when there was no answer, she pulled out the key that was still in her possession and let herself in. If no one was home, she’d simply leave the invitations on the kitchen table with a little note. 

“Emma? Ruby?” She called out, setting her things down on the table. “Is anyone home?” 

There was no answer, but she thought she heard a thud coming from Emma’s bedroom so she moved down the small hallway to look for her friend. “Emma?” She called again when she got to the bedroom door. 

“Mmmm, yes!” She heard Emma call from behind the door. 

“Emma, it’s Mary Margaret,” she said. “I came by to bring you and Ruby an invitation to Christmas dinner.” 

“Fuck!” Emma cried again. 

Mary Margaret was growing concerned. It sounded like Emma was having some trouble with something. Not that Emma didn’t have a tendency for profanity, but she hardly thought an invitation warranted such a response. Emma cried out again, and now she getting very concerned for her friend. 

“Emma?” She called, testing the doorknob to see if it was locked. It wasn’t. “Emma, is everything alright? I’m coming in.” 

With that, she opened the door and walked in, fully expecting to find Emma in some dire state and in need of immediate help. What she found instead a very naked Emma, straddling a very naked Killian, who appeared to be handcuffed to the headboard. 

“Oh, my goodness!” She exclaimed, which caused Emma to turn and when she saw her friend standing quickly climbed off Killian, throwing the bedclothes over him and grabbing the nearest thing she could find, which appeared to be Killian’s t-shirt. 

“Mary Margaret! What the hell are you doing here? Haven’t you ever heard of knocking?” Emma cried. 

“I’m sorry,” Mary Margaret covered her eyes with her hand and quickly began backing out of the room. “I heard you cry out and I thought you were in trouble. I had no idea that… I’ll just… I’ll just go now.” 

She quickly left the bedroom, grabbed her purse on the way out of the apartment and ran straight across the hall to Killian and Belle’s apartment, banging on the door. She had to tell someone what she’d just seen or she would never believe it. Even having seen it with her own eyes. Not that it was something she wanted to see, but…

The door opened, and a surprised Belle was standing there. “Mary Margaret, hi” she greeted. “What are you doing here?” 

“Can I come in, please?” She asked. “You will never believe what I just walked in on at Emma’s apartment.” 

Belle stepped back and opened the door to let her inside. “I have a feeling I probably do, but please come in.” 

Mary Margaret stepped inside the apartment and was surprised to see Ruby was here too. “Ruby! Oh, good you’re here too. I’m not sure what I just walked in on, but you probably shouldn’t go back to your apartment for a while.” 

“Yeah, I know,” Ruby replied, rolling her eyes. “I’ve been hiding over here for at least an hour. They were going at when I got home and I couldn’t take it any more.” 

“Wait,” Mary Margaret looked at her friend, her brows furrowed, “you knew Emma and Killian were sleeping together?” 

“We’ve known for a while,” Belle answered, joining the other women in the living room. “But they swore us to secrecy so we couldn’t tell you.” 

“But, when… how?” Mary Margaret was at loss for words, but she wouldn’t have been able to finish her thought anyway because there was another knock on the door. Belle went to answer and this time it was, now mostly dressed, Emma and Killian. Emma rushed over to her. 

“Mary Margaret, I’m so sorry. Please don’t be mad,” Emma begged her friend. 

“Why would I be mad?” Mary Margaret asked as she smiled at Emma. “I mean, I wish you’d told me, but I’m so happy for you.” She opened her arms and as Emma stepped into her she gave her a big hug. 

“Well only didn’t tell you because we know how bad you are at keeping secrets,” Emma replied.

“I can too keep secrets!” Mary Margaret exclaimed. But it obvious no one agreed with her, as they were all looking at her skeptically. “What? I can.” 

“Mary Margaret, love,” Killian said, taking one of her hands, “we adore you. But you can’t keep a secret to save your life.”

“Yeah, remember that time Thomas wanted to propose to Ashley and you let it slip to her that he was taking her to Disney World to propose in front of the castle?” Ruby reminded her. 

“And there was that time Aurora just found out she was pregnant and she had it all planned out to tell Phillip, but you accidently let it slip at Thanksgiving dinner,” Belle chimed in. 

“Well, I can’t help it,” Mary Margaret replied, feeling sheepish. “Both of those things were very big news and I didn’t know Ashley, or Philip, were in the room when I said it.” 

“It’s okay,” Emma assured her. “It’s not that we didn’t want to tell you.” 

“It’s just that I didn’t want to end up in the brig when he finds out,” Killian smiled at her. 

Mary Margaret brushed him off. “Oh, that’s ridiculous,” she said. “He may be sheriff, but he isn’t going to lock up his best friend for dating his sister.” 

“Wanna bet?” Emma asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Alright,” Mary Margaret sighed. “I promise I won’t tell David, but keeping this a secret when we’re all in one house for Christmas is going to be hard.” 

“What do you mean?” Belle asked. “Why would we all be in one house?” 

“Because David and I wanted to invite everyone to come stay with us,” Mary Margaret told them, passing out the invitations she’d brought with her. “We thought it would be nice to spend our first Christmas in our new house with everyone.” 

“Are you sure?” Ruby asked. “I mean, you guys are still newlyweds, don’t you want to… I don’t know, be alone?” 

“We’re alone all the time,” Mary Margaret assured her friend. “Please, we’d love to have you all.” 

“Alright,” Emma agreed. “But only if you swear you won’t say anything to David about us.” 

“I promise,” Mary Margaret swore.

* * *

Christmas passed with the usual festive activities, and Mary Margaret had out done herself with dinner and dessert. (Minus the apple pie of course, because of Mary Margaret had some issue with apples that stemmed from an incident with her Stepmother she refused to speak of.) But from the moment they had walked into the house, keeping their relationship undercover hadn’t been easy. It seemed that everyone was determined to put them in a situation where they were together, and Emma was sure that any second David was going to catch on to what was happening. Belle was doing better than anyone, but Ruby kept making dirty jokes when she thought it was just the two of them listening, and Mary Margaret was clearly itching to spill the beans, but thus far all her attempts had been thwarted by the others. The most obvious was her offering Killian and Emma the bedrooms with the Jack and Jill bathroom, in case they ‘decided they wanted to share.’

Yes, things were definitely going smoothly. That was, until they almost didn’t. 

Emma and the girls were heading out for a night of gossip and fruity drinks before she, Belle and Ruby headed back to the city the following day. Which was going to leave Killian and David to fend for themselves for the evening. 

“Are you sure you guys will be okay?” Mary Margaret asked as she picked up her purse from the coffee table. 

“We’ll be fine, sweetheart,” David assured her, placing a kiss on the top of her head. “You girls have a good time, and if you need a ride home just call.” 

“Thanks, dear,” she smile at her husband and gave him a peck on the cheek. “Come on girls.” 

“Stay out of trouble, Swan,” Killian told Emma as she began to follow the girls out of the room. 

“Where would the fun in that be?” Emma teased, giving him a wink. “Don’t let David drive you too crazy.” 

“I’ll give him some run,” Killian grinned at her. “It’ll loosen his tight arse up a bit.” And then, without even thinking, because by now it had practically become a habit, Killian leaned in to give Emma a quick good-bye kiss, only realizing as he pulled back what had just happened. They both froze in place, and Emma could feel everyone’s eyes on them. Oh, shit. 

“Did you just kiss Emma?” David asked, a look of utter confusion on his face. 

“Umm...yes,” Killian replied unsteadily. “It uh, was just a…” 

“Oh, they were standing under mistletoe,” Belle jumped in, pointing at the ceiling above them, which by some magical power there was actually a strand of the flower hanging over their heads. Mary Margaret had thought it would be cute to hang it above nearly every door frame in the house. “And now I’m standing under it, so I guess it’s mine turn.” She smiled and reached up to give Killian a quick peck on the lips. “See?” 

“Hey,” Ruby said,sauntering over to Killian. “If we’re sharing kisses, I want in.” She leaned in and gave him a kiss as well. 

“Right,” David replied, and Emma wasn’t sure he entirely believed that’s what had happened, but he also couldn’t argue against it either. She mouthed a quick ‘thank you’ to her friends for their quick thinking. 

“Would you like a peck too, Dave?” Killian teased. “I mean, as long as I’m standing here.” 

David made a face. “No thanks,  I’m good. You girls have fun.” 

Before anything else awkward could happen, the girls made a hasty exit, shutting the front door behind them. 

“Thanks for that Belle,” Emma said as they headed down the front path to Mary Margaret’s car. “How did you think of the mistletoe that fast?” 

“Luckily, you did happen to be standing right underneath it,” Belle smiled at her friend. “Just please don’t make me kiss Killian again. He’s a nice guy, but it’s kind of weird.” 

“I owe you one,” Emma promised her. 

“I don’t know,” Ruby piped in. “I think Emma’s a lucky girl. Even from one little peck I could tell he’s a good kisser, I might have to find an excuse to get some more of that.” 

“Oh, Ruby,” Mary Margaret sighed. “What would Dorothy say if she knew you were kissing one of your best friends? You do remember Dorothy, your girlfriend?” 

“Of course I do,” Ruby replied, looking slightly offended at the implication that she would have possibly forgotten such a thing. “But that doesn’t mean I can’t take advantage of an opportunity when one presents itself.” 

“Right,” Emma replied, rolling her eyes. “Well, it was a one time thing, and Killian is mine. So, you’ll just have to find something else to keep you entertained till we get back to New York.” 

Reaching the car, they climbed in and headed to the small and quaint downtown that was Storybrooke to engage in as much fun as the tiny town would allow them.

* * *

 

A few weeks later, everyone was back at home and things had mostly returned to normal. Killian and Emma were splitting their time between each other’s apartments and somehow, it seemed that Mary Margaret had kept David blissfully unaware of what was going on between. Killian had spoken with David on the phone several times since the holiday and he hadn’t let on at all that knew what was happening. David was coming to the city for a visit though, as he was attending a Law Enforcement convention or something, and he was going to stay with Killian and Belle for a few days, which meant that he and Emma would have to keep the platonic act up again for a while. 

This, of course, meant that they were making the most of their time together and had spent the morning engaging in some pleasurable activities. With Dave not expected to arrive until early in the evening, Belle had gone out to the grocery store to get something to cook the boys for dinner, and Emma was in the shower while Killian was working on straightening the apartment for his friends arrival. Unexpectedly, there was a knock on the door, and when Killian answered it he got quite a surprise. 

“Dave!” He exclaimed. “What are you doing here? I wasn’t expecting you for a few more hours?” 

“I got in earlier than I thought I would,” Dave smiled, seemingly unaware that his friend wasn’t entirely happy to see him. “I hope that’s okay.” 

“Uh, yeah,” Killian replied, reaching up to scratch behind his ear. He only hoped that Emma stayed in the bathroom long enough he could get Dave out of the apartment before he found her there. “Come on in. Put your stuff down and we can go grab an early lunch or something.” 

“Actually, I kind of had a late breakfast,” Dave replied as he stepped into the apartment. “But, we can go out if you want. I’ll just put this in the spare bedroom, yeah?” He asked, gesturing to his bag. 

“Aye, mate,” Killian nodded and smiled. This was good. Everything would be fine. They’d head out and be gone before Emma was finished. He’d just send her a text to tell her what happened and she could move her stuff out of his apartment before they got back. 

Dave returned to the living room a short time later. “I was going to freshen up a bit, but I guess Belle’s in the shower?” He asked. 

However, at just that moment the front door opened and in walked Belle, arms full of grocery bags. “Oh, hi, David,” she greeted. “We weren’t expecting you till later.” 

Killian did his best to hide his grimace. Damnit, Belle had the worst timing. Or maybe David did. But either way, this was not going to end well. He could feel it. 

“Yeah,” David replied, clearly looking a bit confused. “The trip down didn’t take me as long as I thought it would.” He turned to Killian. “So, if Belle’s now in the shower, then...Killian Jones, did you have girl over last night?” He grinned, ready to tease his best friend about not coming cleaning about his apparent overnight guest who hadn’t left yet. 

“Well, not exactly, mate,” Killian replied, scratching the back of his ear again, his cheeks flushing. “You see-” 

Before he could attempt to explain what was going on, Emma stepped out the bathroom wrapped only in a towel, her hair piled in a sloppy bun on top of her head. “Hey, Killian do you know where-”

“Emma!” David exclaimed, cutting her off. Killian could feel the heat in his cheeks rise as he realized they’d been found out. Emma seemed to have completely frozen in place, just standing in the door frame, clutching her towel. David seemed equally as frozen in shock and there was a long beat before he turned to Killian. “Are you sleeping with my sister?” 

Killian winced a little. This was not going to go well. “Aye, but you see-” He began, trying to explain. 

“My best friend and my sister!” David shouted, placing his hands on his hips in what Emma referred to as David’s Sheriff mode. 

“David,” Emma jumped in, crossing the room to stand next to Killian while still clinging to her towel. “We can explain. It’s not-” 

“My best friend and my sister!” He repeated again, clearly not having the explanations they were trying to give him. “How long has this been going on? And who else knows?” 

Emma, Killian and Belle all shared an awkward glance, unsure if they really ought to answer that question. But apparently their look said it all because David turned on Belle. “You knew?” He asked her, and she just nodded. “Do Ruby and Mary Margaret know?” 

“Yes,” Emma answered sheepishly. “We were going to tell you it’s just-” 

“Just what?” David asked. “You thought it was okay that the two of you started dating and didn’t tell me! My best friend and my sister!” 

“Mate, look it just kind of happened,” Killian said, attempting to calm his friend down again. “We didn’t tell you right away because we knew that you’d get upset. I understand how protective you are of Emma, but-” 

“You’re damn right I’m protective,” David jumped in. “I’m her brother and I saw what happened when Neal broke her heart. I don’t want her getting hurt again.” 

Emma sighed. “I appreciate that,” she said. “But Killian isn’t Neal, you know that as well as I do. Besides, I’m a lot older now and I think I can handle myself.” 

Killian placed a calming hand on his friend’s shoulder. “You needn’t worry, mate,” he told him, looking him in the eye. “I don’t intend to hurt Emma, I love her and-” He paused, feeling his heart race as he realized that he’d just said that outloud. To her brother, and he hadn’t said it Emma yet. Blood hell, that’s not how he wanted to tell her. 

“You love me?” Asked Emma, her voiced filled with awe. 

Killian turned to face her, giving a guilty smile, and scratching behind his ear. “Aye, love,” he answered. “I think I’ve loved you from the moment we met, but this isn’t how I’d planned to tell you. I-” 

He didn’t get to finish though, because Emma practically leaped at him, throwing her arms around him, and planting her lips firmly against his for a good long minute before she pulled back, looking at him with a grin on her face. “I love you, too.” 

“Well, mate,” Killian said, turning to David with a grin, “I suppose you can’t be too upset with us now, eh?” 

David was quiet a moment before his face lit up with the biggest grin Killian had ever seen from the man, and the suddenly he and Emma found themselves being embraced in a bear hug. “My Best Friend and my Sister!” David claimed. “You guys, this makes me so happy.” 

“Well, this is nice,” Belle jumped in after a moment of awkwardness. “But, maybe we should let Emma get dressed and then we can all go out and celebrate.” 

David let go of them and took a step back. “Oh, right,” he blushed. “Sorry. But Belle’s right, we should celebrate.”

“Sounds good to me,” Emma replied, placing a kiss on Killian’s cheek. “I’ll be quick.” 

Once Emma was dressed the four of them headed to one of their favorite lunch spots in the city. Killian couldn’t have been happier that David finding out how gone over so well. And that Emma had opened her heart to him was even more amazing, as he knew how much she’d been hurt in the past. But now he has his best friend and his love by his side, and everything was just as it should be.

 

Fin. 


End file.
